STATEMENT: Carmel Martin on House Republican Bill to Revise No Child Left Behind

Washington, D.C. – With the U.S. House of Representatives expected to vote later this week on the Student Success Act, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act—currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act—Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:

The House Republican education bill fails to ensure that our nation’s children are prepared for college, careers, and future success. The bill does not require states to set goals for student performance or require states to measure student growth—key components for creating an education system that promotes equality and high expectations. The bill also tragically undermines the historic federal role our education system plays in promoting a level playing field for students by maintaining a loophole in the law that leads to providing less rather than more funding to schools and students that need additional support. As a result, students of color and low-income students are being shortchanged. ESEA reauthorization is an unprecedented opportunity to ensure that we provide the resources needed to help all students succeed and to ensure that federal tax dollars are tied to results.

Our nation cannot afford to walk away from its commitment to the very students who need the most support. Now is the time to move our education system forward and ensure academic and future success for all students.